Presentation of Clavier

The municipality of Clavier (4,211 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 7,912 ha) is located on the borders of the provinces
of Liège, Namur and Luxembourg, in the region of Condroz. The municipality of Clavier is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Clavier, Bois-et-Borsu, Les Avins, Ocquier, Pailhe and Terwagne.

Clavier is one of the biggest municipalities in Belgium by its area and
has the highest density of castles in Belgium. In the past, Clavier,
along with Pair, Ponthoz and Le Val, belonged to the domain of
Ochain, known in 1204 as Oissen; Clavier was known in 1160 as Calvies,
whereas Ponthoz was known in 1178 as Pontes. Ochain belonged to the
Principality of Liège but its sovereignty was usurped in the XVIIIth
century by the Low Countries.
The village of Clavier-Station was built from scratch near the railway
station inaugurated in 1875.

The today's hamlet of Vervoz was an important Roman colony (vicus)
located on the Arlon-Tongeren way and known as Vervigum (probably from
Viroviacum, itself derived from the Celtic word verivos, "excellen",
referring to the fertility of the soil). Excavations made in 1866,
1901-1905 and 1963-1965 have yielded potter's ovens, tombs, foundations
of two sanctuaries and a treasure made of coins of the IIIrd century.
The treasure was hidden around year 255 and is made of 1680 coins from the
reigns of Commode (180-192) and Galien associated with Valerian
(253-259). All the artifacts found in Vervoz are shown in the Curtius
Museum in Liège.
Vervoz belonged to the abbey of Stavelot and was later transferred to
the families of Merode and Tornaco. In the XIth century, the abbey of
Stavelot also had a priory in the neighbouring village of Ocquier,
where a rare potter's oven from the XIIIth century was found in 1997.
The oven was probably part of a big ceramist's workshop.

Municipal flag of Clavier

The municipal flag of Clavier is red with a white wavy bend and three
white towers placed 2 and 1 in the upper right corner.
According to Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et germanophones, the flag was adopted by the Municipal
Council on 21 March 1994 and confirmed by the Executive of the French
Community on 28 March 1997, with the following description:Rouge traversé d'une bande ondée accompagnée dans le coin supérieur au large, de trois châtelets rangés 2 et 1, le tout blanc.
The flag is a banner of the municipal arms.